


Why You Shouldn't Drink and Drive (a Miraculous)

by MiraMara



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-01-22 02:49:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12471780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiraMara/pseuds/MiraMara
Summary: Drunk Marinette thinks it would be a good idea for Ladybug to leave Chat Noir a voicemail





	1. Chapter 1

"Shh Tikki, the girls are a-hic-sleep. I'll be really -hic- quick, I promise," Marinette wobbled slightly on her feet as she stared beseechingly at the kwami.

"Marinette! This is a really bad idea, I don't think you should be-"

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette cried, giggling to herself.

Her friends had come over for an eighteenth birthday party that had quickly escalated with the help of drinking games, suggested by Alya and Alix, of course. It was a girls only party, so nothing untoward had happened, but now Marinette was decidedly... tipsy. And she thought it would be a good idea to transform into her superhero alter-ego, Ladybug, just above a room full of teenage girls, girls including her reporter best friend who was desperate to find out the identities of Paris' heroes.

She also thought it would be a good idea to call Chat Noir.

Naturally, since it was gone two in the morning, Chat didn't answer the call and it went to voicemail. Ladybug headed out to the balcony giggling softly, nearly tripping and falling back onto her bed, and waited for the beep to indicate that she could record her message.

"H-hey, Chat Noir," she tried and failed to suppress her giggles, causing her hiccups to worsen. "It's Marinette, leaving a message for you, of course, because it's your voicemail." She paused to laugh again, snorting inelegantly and nearly tripping over a pot plant. _Who had put that there?_ She wondered. _Oh yeah, I did!_ This time she did collapse to the floor, her fit of laughter uncontrollable.

"Sorry, sorry," she apologised, the laughter still evident in her voice. "I fell over a pot because I put it there!" It was amazing what people found funny when they were drunk.

"So, I was -hic- just calling to leave you a message," she guffawed again, "did I already say that?" Marinette pushed herself up onto her knees and shuffled over to the railing to look over the Parisian skyline.

"Paris is beautiful," she sighed down her yoyo.

"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you I have a crazy crush on you but I think Adrien Agreste is the best thing since sliced bread so we could never be a thing. You're my fest briend and I love you. I love you so much. That's a funny word isn't it? Loooooove," she drew the sound out, fascinated with the vibrations of the 'v'. "Lo-Ve. V-v-v-v-v-v," once again she broke down into laughter.

"That's quite funny. I love love love love love Chat Noir. Well, call me later, see you, bye."

With that she dropped her yoyo on the ground, muttered "spots off" and fell unconscious on her balcony.

* * *

 

Adrien was awoken the next morning by Plagg's usual groaning for cheese. After he had satisfied his kwami's insatiable hunger, he headed towards the shower. Even though it was the weekend, his schedule was still packed full.

He was just about to close the door of the bathroom when he heard a large belch and then a lazy drawl.

"Oh yeah, by the way, Ladybug called last night. She left a message." Plagg said, eyeing up another piece of camembert and seeming completely disinterested in the information he was passing on. Adrien was back out in a flash.

"What? And you wait 'til _now_ to tell me? Was there an akuma attack? Is Ladybug okay? Plagg?" Adrien was starting to get annoyed at the cat god's indifference. "Forget it, Plagg, claws out!"

The fading sounds of Plagg's protest was all that could be heard before Chat Noir stood in Adrien's place, baton already in hand to listen to the message.

It had been ten minutes and Chat Noir was still stood there, staring at the now silent baton. He was still trying to take in what he had just listened to, but all that his brain could process was; _drunk Marinette is not as funny as she thinks she is._

How that was the thought that kept circulating he had no idea. Maybe that was the only thing his broken mind could process, because the fact that Marinette and Ladybug were the same person was pretty mind boggling. Simultaneously, the fact that they were the same person came as almost no surprise. The fact that she loved Chat Noir and had a crush on him too was overwhelming. The fact that she thought Adrien was... how had she phrased it? _The best thing since sliced bread_...

Could a person die from happiness?

He had to go and see his lady. Now.

"Adrien? Be ready to leave for the photo shoot in ten minutes," came the dulcet tones of Nathalie from outside his doorway.

He always had the worst luck.

Then he thought back over the voicemail he had listened to, looking down at the baton and making sure to save it. Maybe his luck wasn't so bad afterall.


	2. Chapter 2

The photo shoot was taking forever. It probably didn't help that Adrien was seriously distracted, mentally replaying the message that Marinette had left him. It was his birthday and Christmas, all come at once.

Adrien had never really given much thought as to who Ladybug actually was behind the mask. It was no use, really, hoping that it might be a specific girl when there was always the possibility of disappointment and so while his subconscious mind had obviously wondered over her identity, he had never put in a conscious effort to try and work out who she was. It hadn't been what she had wanted, anyway.

Oh irony, you fickle fiend.

Honestly, the fact that he might actually know her in real life had occurred to him before. There were too many coincidences, like how they both knew the names of quite a few of the akuma victims, and like how when they had been stuck inside buildings, like with the Horrificator and Kung Food, they both had to have been there already. Both times it had been impossible to get out, so logically, it would have been impossible to get in.

Regardless, now he knew it was Marinette, and he hadn't broken any promises to her, she had gone and told him herself.

While drunk.

That posed a possible problem.

Did she remember?

Adrien had been all too willing that morning to transform and reveal his own identity to her, confident that it was what she wanted. Even though she thought she wanted Adrien Agreste more than Chat Noir...

Now that he had time to think, doubts were starting to creep in.

Sure, she liked both sides of him and seriously, Adrien was having a hard time not to do some kind of dance over _that_ revelation, but if she liked Adrien better, did that mean she would prefer him to be more sedate? Polite, quiet and, let's be honest, pretty boring, as far as Adrien was concerned.

And if she didn't remember, would she want to find out? Or would it be better just to leave things as they are? That didn't sit particularly well with him either. The idea of lying, even through omission, to his lady just wasn't something he was prepared to do.

* * *

 

Pain. Dull, throbbing, spinning, ache. Marinette could feel it all through her body. It hurt to move her _eyes._ Was that even a thing? Could eyes hurt? Because hers did. And just opening them caused the whole room to spin. Wait, not a room. Her balcony? What was she doing out here?

The sun was reasonably high above the horizon, the air warming through its rays. Still, a shiver travelled down her spine as a breeze blew across her arms exposed by the flimsy tank top she had worn to bed, the thin flannel bottoms the only cover for her legs.

Groaning, Marinette tried to sit up and promptly dropped her head back against the cool concrete floor, pressing her forehead in until she could feel small pieces of gravel dig in to her skin, certain to leave an imprint. The headache hit her like a truck, the swooping swirl of nausea following quickly behind.

She was never drinking again.

Then she heard a stern voice.

"Marinette!"

The girl in question wasn't sure who it might be. Her addled brain tried fitting the voice to her mother, then Alya and finally settled on Tikki, helped by the fact that the ladybug kwami was hovering inches from her face. A fact Marinette discovered as she peeked open one eye, only to shut it again against the brightness.

Had Tikki always been such a glaring shade of red?

The sprite opened her mouth to speak again, although Marinette was oblivious to this. All she heard was a small squeak and then felt the warmth of her mentor tucking herself inside her pocket. The reason why became clear.

"Good morning, Sunshine," said someone in a voice that was far to chipper for the agony in her body. Marinette really couldn't understand why people would get drunk if this was the result. The ends definitely did not justify the means.

Or something like that.

And why was it that Alya was so... perky?

"Okay girl, I've got to head home, but I've got some pain killers and some water for you here," Marinette lifted her head to look over at her best friend before dropping it to the ground with a groan.

Alya rolled her eyes and patted Marinette on the head, laughing softly.

"Feel better," she whispered and dropped through the hatch into the bedroom.

Marinette hauled herself onto her knees, grasping for the water and pills and drinking deeply, draining the bottle. She couldn't even bring herself to follow Alya, opting instead to roll onto her back and close her eyes and try and sleep off the hangover.

A quiet cough had her eyes snapping open.

It would seem that today was not her lucky day.

Slowly, she turned her head to the source of the noise and felt a tide of heat washing over her face. There stood Adrien Agreste, looking at her with a concerned face.

"Hey," he offered, with a small wave. "Alya let me in." All Marinette could do was groan. How was this even her life?

Unsteadily she pulled herself up into a seated position, her head hanging between her knees.

"Hey, Adrien," her muffled voice just reached him. "What are you doing here?"

On the plus side, having a hangover seemed to have improved her stutter. Maybe having something to focus on other than the concentrated sunshine that was Adrien Agreste let her actually speak like a normal person.

"Oh... I-I... um..." apparently it was having exactly the opposite effect on him. "I-I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. You... you had a party last night, right?"

Marinette nodded in agreement.

"You feeling okay?"

"Ugh," she moaned, squinting as she looked up at him. He was so damn gorgeous and it was hard to even look at him right now. Adrien's entire face coloured.

"Umm... th-thanks," he stuttered, the smile creeping onto his face.

Had she said that out loud?

"And now I think I need to crawl into a hole and wait for death. I'm sorry, Adrien, it was really sweet of you to come over, but I had a lot to drink last night and I'm really feeling it right now so I think I just need to go to bed and sleep it off."

She attempted to haul herself to her feet and landed back on her rear with a thump. Then a hand appeared in front of her face and she offered Adrien a grateful smile, taking his hand and this time successfully, if a little unsteadily, made it onto her feet.

Adrien helped her back to her bed and Marinette snuggled under the blankets, her eyes already closing and her mouth pouted open, her breathing slowing. Adrien watched her for a minute, his smile soft. Gently he brushed aside a lock of hair and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Princess."

As he left the bakery he heard an obnoxious whine coming from his pocket.

"I thought you were going to tell her you were Chat Noir? What happened, kid?"

Adrien shot a furtive glance around him before shushing his kwami.

"I can't do it now... she's... hungover. I'll talk to her later, on patrol, I swear."

All Adrien heard was a derisive snort. "You better be getting me some cheese soon. I starving."

Adrien rolled his eyes and hurried away from the bakery.


	3. Chapter 3

He was going to tell Ladybug the night before, honestly, he was, but she never showed up for patrol. She was probably still recovering from her hangover, and honestly, Chat was a little relieved, although he wasn't sure why.

So now it was Monday morning and Adrien was sat on the bench at school. Nino had tried to start a conversation more than once but the blonde was oblivious to it and Nino had long since given up, turning instead to discuss the party with Alya. All Adrien could hear was the thrum of his pulse, slightly erratic and stronger than usual, sending blood rushing around his body, the sound punctuated occasionally by laughter behind him.

Marinette wasn't here yet, and while it wasn't particularly unusual (and the reason for that was becoming clearer to him) he was on tenterhooks waiting for her arrival.

He still hadn't quite decided how he was going to broach the subject with her, he just knew that it was eating him alive to keep it to himself, and Plagg was quite honestly no help at all, finding some sadistic satisfaction in Adrien's suffering.

A crash from the front of the classroom had his head snapping in that direction, such a cacophony surely could only be caused by the arrival of everyone's favourite bakers' daughter. Adrien's heart picked up even more speed, forcing the blood that was pounding in his ears to flood his face instead. Marinette froze on the spot, her hand outstretched and braced against the door where she had flung it open, her breathing slightly laboured. She found herself caught in Adrien's arresting gaze and was having a hard time looking away. They stared at each other for what felt like hours but must have been only a few seconds before Alya was calling a greeting to her best friend and Marinette was making her way over to her seat, the spell broken.

Waiting for Marinette had been torture for the impatient Agreste. It turned out that it was nothing compared to having her sit behind him, hearing her tinkling laugh, listening to her discuss her weekend with Nino, joke with Alya, even berate Chloe and having a mantra pound through his head the entire time.

_Marinette is Ladybug._

_She likes me as Adrien._

_She likes me as Chat Noir._

The words chasing themselves through his thoughts, unrelenting. There was nothing he could do right now, no words that he could say in front of the others. He just had to act natural, keep up the perfect model facade and wait until he could see her alone, whether that be as Chat Noir and Ladybug, or Adrien and Marinette, or some combination of the four identities.

If only he could remember how to act like Adrien Agreste.

That day at school was the longest Adrien had ever suffered through.

* * *

 

The gorilla was running late and Adrien stood outside the front doors of the school, looking forlornly outwards, his mind still on one thing.

"Just suck it up and tell her already." The grumble came from Adrien's front pocket and the boy pulled his shirt away from his chest so that he could glare down at the hidden cat god.

"What do you think I've been trying to do? It's just... not been the right time." His statement was met with an incredulous stare from Plagg before a noise behind them had the pair snapping quickly to attention, the kwami once more disappearing into his hiding place.

"Hey, Adrien," Marinette smiled warmly at him, mentally high fiving herself at being able to greet him without tripping over her tongue. "Still here?"

Adrien ignored the derisive snort he could hear from his pocket, offering the bluenette a smile in greeting. "Yeah, seems like my driver is running late. Shouldn't be too much longer though."

"Oh," Marinette replied and the two slipped into an awkward silence.

"So-" they both began, breaking off as they realised the other was speaking. They both looked away, blushing heavily. Adrien cleared his throat, looking back to Marinette and tried again.

"Marinette. Can I... uh. I wanted to... ask?... you something..." his words trailed off until Marinette turned back towards him, her cheeks still pink but her smile warm and somewhat relieved.

"Sure, Adrien. You've seemed a bit off today, is everything okay?"

Of course she noticed.

"Um... Well, I know that... I, uh..." Adrien started desperately searching for the words to tell her not only that he knew she was Ladybug, but that he was Chat Noir. To tell her how he felt about her and reveal he knew about her feelings for him. It seemed easy, in theory. In practice, not so much.

She smiled at him with a quizzical quirk of her brow and his face flushed red. _She was so cute._

"You... I mean, I... do you..."

Marinette placed her hand on his forearm, squeezing it in what he assumed was meant to be a reassuring manner, but it did nothing to quell his flushed face and nervous stutter. He breathed deep, closing his eyes briefly and released the breath on a heavy sigh. Opening his eyes Adrien called on all his reserves to get through a sentence.

"Would you go out on a date with me?"

Well, that hadn't been quite what he had been planning to say but it was better than nothing. And maybe this was a good thing. If he could get them into a relaxed setting, take his time and do it right, then he could tell her everything. He looked at Marinette hopefully as she chewed nervously on her lower lip, her fingers fidgeting nervously at her side. She cast her eyes down, frowning slightly, seemingly at war with herself as the anticipation twisted a knot in his stomach.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice almost too quiet to hear.

"Sorry?"

Marinette seemed to draw in her own strength, bringing her head up to look him in the eye, her expression somewhat pained.

"I can't go out with you, Adrien. I like someone else."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say this was going to be the last chapter? Oops? Maybe just one more then.


	4. Chapter 4

"Marinette! What happened?" The kwami flew out of Marinette's purse and into the young girl's face, grasping her cheeks and looking her charge dead in the eye, her expression concerned. "I thought that you liked Adrien. Isn't this what you always wanted?"

Marinette spun on her chair until she faced her wall of Adrien posters, slumping forward onto her desk, her head resting on her crossed arms as she regarded his handsome face. Truth be told, Tikki was just saying exactly what Marinette had been thinking, _what happened?_ She had liked Adrien almost since his first day at school and now?

She still liked him, of course she did. Nothing had really changed in that department. So why had she rejected him? And as much as she wanted to convince herself that she didn't know the answer to that question, she suspected that she did.

Chat Noir.

Deep in her heart she knew that her kitty had managed to sneak in.

She was in love with Chat Noir, and she didn't know what to do about it. It seemed like only two days ago that she hadn't even recognised these feelings for her partner. But then something must have changed. Whatever it was, was out of her grasp though.

Sighing deeply, she turned her head to look at the hovering sprite.

"I think... I think I might lo... like, Chat Noir," she stuttered, burying her head in her arms with a groan. Tikki's excited squeal filled the room and she flew close to her chosen's face once more before the sound of the trap door opening had her ducking for cover. Sabine Cheng's head poked up into the room.

"Is everything alright, dear?" she asked with concern, her eyes flickering about the room. "I thought I heard you scream."

Marinette hurried to straighten up, nearly tipping herself out of her chair before she grabbed hold of her desk, steadying herself. "Nope, sorry, I'm fine," the teenager insisted, laughing nervously. "I just thought I saw a mouse. No, a spider. I mean a spider... mouse? I saw something but it was nothing. Sorry, Maman, I'll keep the noise down."

Sabine shook her head, bemused, and Marinette sighed with relief as her mother disappeared again with a click of the trapdoor. Once again Tikki was floating before her.

"You like Chat Noir? That's amazing Marinette!"

The bluenette flashed her an incredulous look. "How is that amazing? I turned down Adrien Agreste, the sweetest, most genuine, gorgeous boy on the planet for a notorious flirt who doesn't even like me that way. Ugh." And with that her head flopped down onto the desk with a resounding thump.

Tikki zipped around her head, trying to find a gap to fly into so that she could assess her chosen's emotional state properly. Giving up, she resorted to bouncing off of her pigtails in annoyance. It was with a bitter reflection that she recognised the technique to be more fitting for Plagg. Tikki was usually more level headed but Marinette was taking her obliviousness too far this time. It was ridiculous.

"Marinette!" she hissed, her tone brooking no argument. "There's only one way you're going to solve this, and that's by talking to Chat Noir. So get your sorry behind out of that chair and go and meet him for patrol. You've missed the past two nights anyway so... get... going!" she punctuated her words with a couple more bounces on Marinette's head.

* * *

 

"Plagg, is it naive of me to think she might have rejected me for me?" Adrien asked, lounging back on his bed, hands locked behind his head in a relaxed posed which belied his tumultuous feelings.

"Yes," the kwami agreed around a mouthful of camembert, crumbs spraying from his mouth as he spoke. Adrien sat up and stared over at Plagg, his expression hurt and angry.

"What? Why? She told me in that voicemail that she liked Chat Noir and Adrien. Who else would it be?"

"Sorry kid, I wasn't listening. I thought you said something about cheese." Plagg swallowed his mouthful and flew closer to Adrien. "Are you seriously asking me if she might not fancy you? Don't be an idiot. Even _you_ can't be that oblivious." The kwami swooped down to pluck another ripe triangle of his beloved cheese. "Then again..."

Adrien threw his pillow at the floating cat god.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself. It looked like Plagg had lost interest again anyway as he lay on Adrien's desk, bloated stomach pointed up at the ceiling as he let out an undignified belch. The kwami stretched and closed his eyes. "Oh no you don't," Adrien cried, leaping from his bed and striding purposefully towards his desk. "It's no time for sleep, we're going out."

Plagg half opened one eye, eyeing the blonde warily. "I'm not really in the mood for a late night stroll," he whined, letting his eye slip closed again. "Besides, I'm pretty full so I think I just need a good night's sleep and then in the mor-"

"Plagg, claws out."

A low wail was the only sound as Plagg was sucked into Adrien's ring, transforming him into Chat Noir. He leapt out of his window and into the night, before landing on top of a building halfway across the city. Sitting down, his legs stretched out before him, he enabled the phone function of his staff and opened his saved voicemail.

"H-hey, Chat Noir, It's Marinette, leaving a message for you, of course, because it's your voicemail." Chat sighed and lay back on the roof to listen to her message again. The words were already committed to memory, as was the cute way she giggled and how adorable she sounded when she hiccupped, but he could never get enough of listening to her voice. "I love love love love love Chat Noir. Well, call me later, see you, bye." Chat's heart swelled in his chest.

It was time to go and find his lady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I swear to God, the next chapter is 100% the last. This was taken completely out of my hands by these damn sappy love birds and I had no control. Fluffy ending in a couple of days. I hope you enjoyed this mostly filler type chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the final finale! (or is it...?) It's a little longer and I hope you enjoy this resolution.

It didn't take long to find her. Ladybug was already sat perched on a beam of the Eiffel Tower where they usually started a patrol. She seemed a little off, her body tense as she observed the city. With cat like softness, he landed beside her with barely a sound and quickly sank down into a crouch next to her.

"Hey, LB. It's been a couple of days. How've you been?"

Ladybug started at the sound of his voice, apparently so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed his arrival.

"Oh, hey Chat," she cast a glance at him then turned her gaze back over the city sprawled before her. "I... yeah, I've been okay."

"Something on your mind?" he enquired, dropping from his crouch to sit on the beam, his legs swinging out into the air.

She gave him a small smile. "This and that, nothing important." She cringed at her own words, knowing they weren't true. She could just imagine Tikki's berating words.

Chat smiled understandingly. "Tell me about it. I'm here for you, Bugaboo."

Ladybug's brow furrowed. "I've told you to stop calling me Bugaboo," she complained, but there was no real venom in her tone and after a moment her whole body deflated. "A boy asked me on a date today and I turned him down."

Chat scooted closer so that they were hip to hip. "Well, I mean it sucks to have to reject someone, especially if they're a friend, but you shouldn't feel bad for saying 'no' if you don't want to do something."

"I didn't say it was a friend..."

Chat jumped slightly and clutched his tail, nervously running it through his fingers. "Well, I... I mean," he started avoiding eye contact. "It's obviously bothering you, so it couldn't be some random guy, and you're so friendly, I can't imagine that you wouldn't have a lot of friends."

She relaxed again and he thrilled as her body leaned slightly more into him. His ears tinged red and he almost purred.

"Thanks, Chat Noir, that means a lot." She tilted her head and rested it in his shoulder. It was all he could do not to wrap his arm around her, putting his hand on the beam behind him instead. "He is a friend of mine and I actually really liked him... or I thought I did? I don't know, I'm pretty confused."

Resisting the urge to smell her hair he focussed instead on casting his eyes across the skyline. "What do you think changed?"

Ladybug shook her head and her lips pressed together and it was clear she wasn't going to continue. The silence lasted only a minute before Chat broke it.

"Paris is beautiful."

Ladybug pulled away slightly and turned her head to look at him, confusion creasing her brow, before she shook it off, looking back over the cityscape.

"It really is," she agreed, resting her head once more on his shoulder.

"Yeah," he sighed wistfully, and if she had been looking at him, she would have noticed the mischievous gleam in his eye. "It's the best thing since sliced bread."

At the odd phrasing, Ladybug pulled away fully, one brow raised before the words struck a chord somewhere in the hazy recesses of her mind. The thought was like smoke, intangible and impossible to grasp, but it was definitely familiar. Why were those words making her feel so uneasy? They were innocent enough in and of themselves.

"Chat?"

The boy hummed in acknowledgement, smirking at her knowingly and her sense of unease grew.

"Why did you say that?" she asked, shifting away to turn and face him properly.

"I don't know, just seemed the thing to say," his smirk grew. "But then, I suppose words like that would be better reserved for... I don't know... Adrien Agreste?"

There were butterflies swirling in his stomach at his words. Her tone turned trepid. "How do you know Adrien Agreste?"

Leaning closer to her face once more, his voice took on a seductive purr. "Because, Bugaboo..." he murmured, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "His face is plastered all over Paris." And he leaned back again, gesturing at where a large billboard sported a windswept Adrien advertising the Gabriel fashion line.

She stared at him in disbelief. He was lying about something, or withholding something. Somehow she knew that they seemed to be in a game of cat and mouse, and inevitably, she was the mouse.

"By the way," his tone had turned conversational and the abrupt mood change threw her. "Fallen over any pot plants recently?"

"Pot... plants?" she asked haltingly. Something was definitely up.

"Yeah. Sometimes people leave pots in silly places. It's easy to trip over them if you're... drunk?"

Realisation hit her like a truck and the fuzzy memories of Saturday night came to her. Specific details were still missing but she definitely remembered transforming into Ladybug after a copious amount of alcohol. Could she have seen Chat Noir after that? Or did she...?

She groaned and dropped her face into her open palm.

"Oh no, I called you, didn't I?" she asked, the dazzling gleam of his smile his only reply. "What did I do?" she wailed, hiding her face once more in her hands.

"Just left me a little voicemail, that's all."

"How bad is it?" she demanded, although she wasn't sure she wanted to know, she needed to assess the damage.

"I could play it for you if you like," he offered, smirking at her. "The end is my favourite bit."

Ladybug buried her face in her hands, groaning in embarrassment. "Chat, you need to delete that message. Oh jeez, I can't believe I left that."

"Oh, I'm keeping that saved. There's no way I'm getting rid of something this good." Chat placed a hand over his baton where it was clipped above his tail, ensuring she didn't make a grab for it.

"I don't suppose there's any way I could go back in time, steal your staff and delete that message before you hear it, is there?"

Chat gave her a quizzical look. "You would actually do that?"

Ladybug flailed her hands around her head. Suddenly everything was interesting to look at and demanded her immediate attention. Anything that wasn't his face that was. "No! I... Of course... would never... don't know what... That would be crazy..." she ended with a slightly manic laugh and his look turned to one of consternation. Still, if he didn't already know she was Marinette, this behaviour would definitely confirm it.

"O...kay?"

More and more of the message was coming back to her memory and she was cringing as each little detail made it through the fog. The spotted hero was quick to change the subject.

"Look, I'm really sorry I put you in this position. Being drunk really isn't an excuse, plus, I shouldn't have gone on to you about Adrien. That wasn't really very fair of me. Actually, neither was confessing to you over th..." she broke off as a small smile appeared on his face, growing wider with every word. "Alright Chat, out with it. What's with the face?"

With her words, his grin only became toothier. "Face? What face? This is just my face. You don't like it?" If possible, his smile became even wider as colour washed over her cheeks.

"Your face is... fine."

"Really," he queried, leaning closer until she had no choice but to look at him, practically nose to nose. "Just... fine?"

Ladybug huffed and pushed his face away with a finger to his nose. "Ugh, alright. You have a very pretty face. My concern is the smirk on said face."

Chat rocked back and reclined, resting his hands behind him on the tiles of the roof. Still, the smile didn't waver, but softened somehow.

"Marinette," he sighed, and his tone had her drawing her head and looking directly into his eyes. Ah yes, she had used her real name. Fantastic. Could this be any worse?

Undoubtedly she would get a thorough dressing down from Tikki over this. She was certainly kicking herself, but what was done, was done. Chat knew who she was and if he could act calmly and rationally about it, so could she. And if she could trust anyone, it was her partner.

"Getting that voicemail from you was probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I..." he took a fortifying breath. "I love you." He reached to take her hand and she didn't resist, her fingers limp in his grasp.

"You... love me? Even after I went on about another boy?" she looked at him sadly but it turned to confusion as he nodded earnestly.

"I really do. And I think, maybe you might feel the same way about me?" his look turned uncertain. "I'm hoping so anyway. And I think it's time you know who I am under the mask as well."

"Are you sure?" she asked, her lower lip between her teeth.

He didn't answer her question but took a breath, smiled and said, "Plagg, claws in."

A swirl of green magic enveloped him and Ladybug shielded her eyes from the glare, almost afraid to look. This was the boy she had rejected Adrien Agreste for. And now she would find out who he was. Did she really want to know or would it break the spell? What if, once he was unmasked she didn't like him anymore? And she rejected Adrien for nothing?

She was being silly and she knew it. No matter who he was, he was still her kitty. Still the one who always had her back, who was quick with a joke so that she would have a smile on her face, no matter what. He was the one who had sacrificed himself for her over and over again. She loved him.

An irritated whine filled the air.

"I do _not_ appreciate being cut off mid-sentence like that! Next time you want to transform, it will be on my terms. Do you hear me? And I expect a _lot_ of cheese for this."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Plagg. When we get home, I'll find the stinkiest camembert in the house. A whole wheel of it, I promise. Just... can you please..." and he gestured to where Ladybug sat, her arm still shielding her eyes. Plagg grunted noncommittally but disappeared inside Adrien's shirt to try and get the nap he had been so rudely denied earlier.

"You can open your eyes now," Adrien told her and she lowered her arm. Her eyes stayed resolutely shut however. "La-Marinette?"

Her only response was to shuffle closer.

"Chat, before I open my eyes, can I ask you something?"

Adrien nodded his head, forgetting himself for a moment. "Umm, sure."

"Do you think... could you maybe... kiss me?"

Ladybug's request was met with silence. It dragged on so long in fact that a tide of red washed over her face and she shrunk back and away from him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't ha-"

She was cut off by the press of his lips to hers. It was tense at first, the remnants of her embarrassment coupled with the shock of his kiss making her body rigid. She sat stock still as his hand brushed her cheek and curled round her neck. It wasn't until he started to ease himself away that she snapped out of her paralysis.

His lips had barely left hers when she reached both hands to grasp his shoulders, pulling the boy closer to her, and crashing her lips against his, kissing him fiercely.

When they finally broke apart, Adrien was breathing heavily. Gathering her close, he tucked her head under his chin and wrapped his arms around her. Ladybug opened her eyes, her cheek pressed into a well muscled chest and the lights of Paris laid out before her. His arms were warm and she felt safe in his embrace.

"Tikki, spots off."

With a swirl on lights, Marinette sat where Ladybug had once been and Adrien entwined their hands, delighting in the feel of skin on skin.

"Marinette?"

Taking a fortifying breath, Marinette pulled slightly away from him and looked into his unmasked face for the first time. And then groaning, she let her head drop down, pressing her forehead into his chest.

"Of course it's you. How could it be anyone else?" Marinette looked back up through her lashes, her gaze coy. Adrien's lips parted, but before he could say anything she pressed her mouth to his once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this reveal. Let me know what you thought!


	6. Bonus Scene

Nino sat backwards on his chair, facing Alya as she described a new layout she wanted for the Ladyblog.

"... and maybe you could produce some music for me, give the site a bit more of an edge?"

Nino nodded his agreement, tipping his hat back on his head and shooting her with finger guns. "I got exactly what you need. Say no more, dude."

"Great," she exclaimed excitedly, leaning over her notebook to jot something down before looking back up at him with a coy expression. "Maybe you could come over to m..." her words broke off faintly as the door swung open. Nino, who's cheeks were pinkened by the suggestion of where her sentence might be going, threw an annoyed look over his shoulder and then gave a double take.

Walking through the door, smiling happily at each other and _holding hands_ was Marinette and Adrien.

Alya stood straight up, her hands slapping flat onto her desk and a gleam coming to her eye that Nino only ever saw when she was chasing down a lead. Their conversation was well and truly forgotten and Nino sighed heavily, swivelling in his chair to face front.

Before they separated, Marinette to sit at her desk and Adrien at his, the blonde dipped his head to press a kiss to her hand, finally releasing her reluctantly to take his seat. He could hear as soon as Alya started her hissed interrogation and was glad that Nino had more chill. That was, until he looked over at his best friend to see a look of incredulous disbelief colouring Nino's features and realised he wasn't going to escape the grilling either. Luckily, Marinette and Adrien had planned for this eventuality.

"Dude, what the hell? You and Mari? When did this happen?"

Just the mention of her name brought a smile to Adrien's lips and Nino raised an eyebrow at him, demanding an explanation.

Adrien sighed. "Well, you know it was Mari's birthday and she had a party Saturday night?" Nino nodded his agreement. "So, funny story but she actually drunk dialled me..."

Alya's excited squeals behind them drowned out the rest of his story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, sneaky little bonus scene. Hope you enjoyed this little fic and thanks for all the support!


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